Linux is struggling on the desktop because it only has a small number of "great" apps, according to the Gnome co-creator. Miguel de Icaza, co-creator of the Gnome desktop, told tech journalist Tim Anderson at the recent Windows 8 Build conference "When you count how many great desktop apps there are on Linux, you can probably name 10," de Icaza said, according to a post on Anderson's IT Writing blog. "You work really hard, you can probably name 20. We've managed to p*** off developers every step of the way, breaking APIs all the time."

Yes, it is. But I am very clear that my opinion is my opinion. In fact I even used the word "opinion" in my post to describe my opinion. You did not. Instead you are making it sound like your opinion ("this is good") is a fact. Just add "IMO" somewhere and I bet you won't piss as many people off.

For example, I can set Dolphin to pretty much mimic exactly the way that Windows explorer looks and feels

No, I would still feel and see the difference.

and get it to do everything that Windows explorer does.

I don't only judge apps based on what they can do. That's like judging singers based only on how they look... oh wait!

You, however, can't get Windows explorer to have a split screen

or separate tabs

or to perform a batch re-name on a group of files

or to convert-as-it-copies from an audio CD to a set of .mp3 files on disk elsewhere (let alone a set of .ogg files on disk).

Nice, all features I don't really want or need. So in my opinion you are selling an ice cream cone which can fly. Why would I want it to fly?

The point is, despite your opinion, I notice that you don't actually come up with a better Windows-only application that can match Amorak feature-for-feature (for example, Amorak's support of FLAC and Ogg Vorbis audio files, or its support of iPod personal media players, its support for lyrics and album covers and file metadata, all available in the one app).

I don't see why I should. I was just trying to guess on why people voted you down.

After all, it is the Windows fanbois who are trying to claim that there are no good Linux desktop applications. All I have to do is demonstrate some of the desktop app features that equivalent Windows apps can't match, and my point stands. It doesn't depend on your like or dislike of Linux artwork.

Doesn't it? I want a pretty system. For example I am disgusted by iTunes or Safari on Windows, MS Office or Spotify on Linux for exactly that reason. I wouldn't touch it even if it had ten times more features than all other applications in the world combined. But again, that's just my opinion. Judging by most applications on Windows I'd say that most people don't care that their apps looks like shit.

But do you want my opinion on the state of Linux apps? I'd say that it doesn't matter really. I don't think that it's the apps that's holding Linux back (if you are not a video editor or company running highly niched apps).

I installed Ubuntu on my father-in-laws computer and he loved it. I think that there's apps for Gnome, KDE, Windows, Mac, whatever, that do the job and work for the average Joe. So I don't agree with Mr. de Icaza.